A system and method for conducting preflight planning for autonomous flight missions of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The system includes use of a controller to conduct quantitative risk assessments of available digital data to predict low risk flight routes based on estimated flight risk profiles. The flight risk profiles may be based upon flight safety-critical information, including real time regulatory, airspace, obstacle, and infrastructure data sets. Among other data sets, the flight risk profiles may also account for current weather, current population and traffic data, and aircraft operational data specific to the UAV involved. Each risk assessment can generate a flight risk profile dependent on proposed times of travel, from which a low risk route may be predicted for any impending autonomous aircraft flight. Such risk assessments may enhance chances of expeditious regulatory acceptance of flight plans for such predetermined flight routes.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The preflight planning system of claim 1, wherein the static information comprises data sets for a) regulations, b) airspace, c) ground obstacles, and d) infrastructure.
3. The preflight planning system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic information comprises data sets for a) weather, b) air traffic, c) vehicular traffic, and d) UAV performance.
4. The preflight planning system of claim 2, wherein the data sets comprise static information used to generate the risk levels of airspace of the flight risk profile.
5. The preflight planning system of claim 3, wherein the data sets comprise dynamic information used to generate the risk levels of airspace of the flight risk profile.
6. The preflight planning system of claim 1, wherein the flight risk profile is a first flight risk profile used by a first type of UAV type.
7. The preflight planning system of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to generate a second flight risk profile that is distinct from the first flight risk profile.
8. The preflight planning system of claim 6, wherein the first flight risk profile includes at least one flight route.
9. The preflight planning system of claim 7, wherein the second flight risk profile includes at least one flight route.
10. The preflight planning system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to generate the flight risk profile for the future time period based upon the static information and the dynamic information.
11. The preflight planning system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a route finder.
12. The preflight planning system of claim 11, wherein the route finder is configured to predict the flight route that has the low-risk.
13. The preflight planning system of claim 11, wherein the route finder predicts the low-risk of the flight route based upon a flight mission plan.
15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the static information comprises data sets for a) regulations, b) airspace, c) ground obstacles, and d) infrastructure.
16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the dynamic information comprises data sets for a) weather, b) air traffic, c) vehicular traffic, and d) UAV performance.
17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the data sets comprise static information used to generate the risk levels of airspace of the flight risk profile.
18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the data sets comprise dynamic information used to generate the risk levels of airspace of the flight risk profile.
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April 30, 2020
November 29, 2022
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